Om nom nom nom nom

Since one of my husband's favorite foods, ranking right up there with "meat," is the chocolate chip cookie, it's always sort of been my mission to find the perfect recipe for this sweet treat. I decided to scan the Internet for the most acclaimed and popular ones and landed on two finalists: The Real Simple recipe and the New York Times recipe.

I made the Real Simple cookies back in August, just a few days before, little did I know, I would end up having a baby. So it's not necessarily surprising that I didn't get back to this little experiment until today, when I finally made the Times cookies. The unofficial focus group of two (me, my husband) found both cookies delicious, but I believe the winner by a narrow margin is Real Simple -- in large part for its perfect texture. It's also a simpler (duh) recipe.

There are two items I consider essential when baking chocolate chip cookies. The first is Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract -- it's the best vanilla I've found that is readily available in the Des Moines area. You can get it at any number of grocery and cooking supply stores, including Williams-Sonoma. I also think the key to getting a nice crispy, brown bottom to each cookie is to line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Thanks to my husband's super shopping skills, we have a basement stockpile of the stuff. We were once in the supermarket, where I sent him to get me "some parchment paper" (no, I was not numerically specific) and he came back with four rolls. When I laughed at his excess and asked him to put three of the rolls back, he refused. "The price will never be lower," he said, even though the parchment paper was not on sale. "Might as well stock up." Of course, the irony of this statement is that it turns out there is a coupon for $1 off on the inside of each parchment paper package. But the phrase "The price will NEVER be LOWER" has become a family favorite.


"The price will never be lower."

One of the unique features of the Real Simple recipe is that it calls for a cup of dark brown sugar -- I think it gives the cookies a nice, rich flavor.



The finished product was a really delicious, can't-keep-your-hands-outta-the-cookie-jar creation. Even I couldn't resist eating copious amounts of them, and while I love chocolate chip cookies I don't have a major sweet tooth (though I was eight months pregnant...).


Real Simple chocolate chip cookies

THE REAL SIMPLE RECIPE

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 375° F.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
3. With an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla for 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the baking soda. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Scoop the dough into tablespoon-size mounds and place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.
5. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

So fast-forward to today: the first snowfall of the season -- that I will acknowledge. My holiday decorating is pretty much done, so it was a great afternoon to stay in and bake some cookies before Christmas goodie baking season (which I LOVE) kicks into high gear.

Today I finished making the Times cookies, and I have to admit they came out pretty dang good. A unique feature of this recipe is chilling the dough in advance, but I also think they would come out pretty tasty without doing that.


New York Times chocolate chip cookies

THE NEW YORK TIMES RECIPE

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content
Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.